NYCC 2022: Exhausting, But Enjoyable
Josh B.
Another New York Comic Con has come and gone, and I’m feeling kind of mixed about it, if I’m honest. Readers may remember that I came away from last year’s NYCC feeling very positive about the convention, despite having only gone for one day. Because of my enjoyable experience, I opted to attend this year’s New York Comic Con for all four days, coming at a cost of several hundred dollars for the privilege. Still, I was enthused by the idea, and super excited by the time day one rolled around.
DAY 1 – THURSDAY
I’ve never attended NYCC on Thursday before, and I have to say it was refreshing to be able to maneuver around the Jacob Javits Center far more freely thanks to the lesser number of attendees. As such, I could shop for new anime and manga memorabilia far easier than say, the chaotic first day of G-Fest. My mission for Thursday was to meet up with some voice actors I’ve admired and get their signatures. First on my list was Ian Sinclair, who I met back in 2018 at the short-lived Anime Fest revival. Last time, I had no idea he'd be there. This time, I came prepared with one of my favorite anime that stars Mr. Sinclair: the criminally underrated fantasy action series, Rage of Bahamut: Genesis, where he plays the dashing rogue known as Favaro.
IAN SINCLAIR (IS): Oh wow! Rage of Bahamut! Awesome! I’ve never really gotten to sign this before.
JOSHUA BRAFMAN (JB): Yeah, this is my absolute favorite fantasy anime, and I loved your performance in it! I was so disappointed you never got to dub the second season.
IS: Me too, man! Me too! Nobody watched Bahamut, which is a real shame. I put a lot of heart into Favaro.
JB: Yeah, so many of the series you’re in aren’t talked about nearly as much as they should be, like your role as Sugimoto in Golden Kamuy. That show is so good, but I feel like no one talks about it! I’m glad it’s run for as long as it has – up to its fourth season now!
Ian Sinclair
IS: Oh yeah, that show is crazy popular in Japan. A lot of people tend to write it off when they see that [CGI] bear [in episode one]. They say “What?! This looks awful!” and just drop it. But there’s really nothing else like it in anime right now, and with how popular it is overseas I think we’ll be seeing more of it to come.
JB: How do you know when an anime is or isn’t popular?
IS: Honestly, I don’t know, not until I come to cons. Seeing what people bring me to sign really shows me what people are or aren’t watching.
JB: So, what gets you most excited about playing a role? Or rather, what’s your favorite thing about voice acting.
Me with Ian Sinclair
IS: Getting to make people laugh, definitely. Being in the booth and knowing there’s someone on the other side of it, watching me. If I can crack them up, that makes my day right there.
Finishing my chat with Ian Sinclair, he let me know that the ADR Director of Rage of Bahamut: Genesis, Sonny Strait, was in attendance. Strait is probably most well-known for his portrayal of Krillin in the Dragonball franchise, but since Rage of Bahamut: Genesis is so near and dear to me, I had to get him to sign my copy and talk about it as well.
Sonny Strait
SONNY STRAIT (SS): The funny thing about Bahamut was that initially, when I was casting, I couldn’t find anyone to play the role of Favaro. It got to the point where I was convinced, I was going to have to play the role myself. But then, someone in the office showed me a clip of Ian’s work as Space Dandy, and I immediately knew he was my guy.
JB: What was directing Rage of Bahamut: Genesis like?
SS: Well, Ian is a very theatrical actor. In order to really motivate him I would speak to him about the theory behind the acting that would go into the scenes we’d be doing and go from there.
After meeting with Mr. Sinclair and Mr. Strait, I got to meet Colleen Clinkenbeard and Luci Christian, both of whom are famous for their roles in My Hero Academia. Both ladies were absolutely lovely and a treat to meet in person.
Heavy Metal: Issue May 2001
I had made reservations for a number of Thursday panels, however I threw all those planned events out the window when I heard of another event happening that same day, one that offered no reservations – an Ultraman Connection Live panel. While I am still relatively new to the Ultraman fandom, having only gotten into it after this past G-Fest, I couldn’t ignore the offer for those that attended the panel: tickets to an exclusive, one-night-only showing of the brand new film, Shin Ultraman!
So, I waited in the room for the panel to begin and came upon an unexpected benefit – a panel all about the fantasy magazine Heavy Metal. At the time, my knowledge of the publication began and ended with the animated 1980s film of the same name, so to see that it was a platform for creative writers that has endured up to this very day was a real surprising treat. Doing my due diligence as a reporter, I learned several key facts about the publication’s efforts going forward. First, they intend to adapt several of their stories to live action film in the near future. They played a sizzle reel for the projects they had in production and the visual effects were quite impressive. Secondly, Heavy Metal will, after decades in the same production run, be launching its second volume starting February of 2023. They will be working to publish more self-contained stories as well as continuing ones, both as comics and as prose work. They also have their own digital distribution method for those who don’t want or can’t afford a physical version, using Metal+, their own online platform.
Immediately following the Heavy Metal panel was the Ultraman Connection Live panel I had been waiting for, and it did not disappoint. The panelists unveiled a host of new happenings in the Ultraman world, from a new form of Ultraman (called Ultraman Type Dynamic), coming to the ongoing series Ultraman Decker, to teasing the next series, Ultraman Regulos. The panel also unveiled the first concrete details of the previously announced Netflix Ultraman film. The movie will be releasing next year, and its animation is being produced by Industrial Light & Magic, the company responsible for the effects work in some of the most iconic films of all time, like the original Star Wars trilogy, Jurassic Park and Terminator 2. Netflix’s Ultraman is “a celebration of American culture”, and centers around an as-of-yet unnamed baseball player who gains the power of Ultraman, and has to defend the planet from evil. Safe to say, this will be one to watch when it releases next year. The panel also revealed that Ultraseven, the second Ultraman series, will be released in 4K in Japan to commemorate its 55th anniversary. The panel also revealed that as part of its run with Marvel Comics, Ultraman will be appearing alongside Marvel superheroes in a future set of comics! Though the exact heroes that will be appearing in said comics is yet to be announced.
The Ultraman Connection Live panel touched on the Netflix CG anime version of Ultraman, based on the manga of the same name in Japan. While details were sparse, we did learn that because the manga has yet to conclude, the Ultraman anime will have its own original ending. Here's hoping it’s a good one! Finally, the panel concluded with an unexpected shock – the appearance of Ultraman and Ultraseven themselves, Bin Furuya and Kohji Uenishi – in full costume! I was lucky enough to get photos with them and shake their hands. What’s more, I walked out of the panel a proud holder of two tickets to the Shin Ultraman screening on Saturday (below), thrilled to see what the rest of my weekend would bring.
Me with Ultraman (R) and Ultraseven (L)
The final event I attended, along with my friends on Thursday, was The Legend of Vox Machina panel, which detailed season 2, showing off some clips and teasing some character developments, but also revealing the release date of January 2023! Additionally, the series has been picked up by Amazon for a third season, to be released at a later date. It was a fun way to end a lovely day.
DAY 2 – FRIDAY
Chainsaw Man’s Denji with Pochita (R)
Friday started with a bang as I attended the Chainsaw Man panel, wherein I, and a huge crowd of people, got to watch episode one of the long-awaited anime weeks before its premiere to the public. Not only that, but the episode’s language was in English Dub, something that, at the time of writing this, still has yet to be released on Crunchyroll’s website! It was a true spectacle to behold the first gory, glorious episode of the season on a massive screen with hundreds of cheering fans, and one I won’t soon forget. I’m thrilled to announce that the anime lives up to the hype of the manga, and was well worth the wait. Tuesdays will be my favorite day of the week for a while, simply because it means a new episode of Chainsaw Man has come out.
Inadvertently continuing the theme of bloody violence, my friends and I all gathered together at the end of the day to see an exclusive premiere screening of the upcoming holiday action film, Violent Night. David Harbour (Left) portrays a disillusioned Santa Claus caught in the crossfire of a deadly home invasion, perpetrated by a group of robbers led by John Leguizamo. The film is equal parts John Wick-style brutal action mixed with cheesy, over-the-top acting and one-liners that had me laughing and glued to my seat. I would go into greater detail, however all of us in the audience were told to withhold reviews until November 29th, so I will leave you with this - I feel so fantastic to have been able to see the movie at its world premiere, and I look forward to seeing it again when it comes to theaters on December 2nd, 2022.
DAY 3 – SATURDAY
Saturday, I had the pleasure of meeting Harvey Guillén, the actor famous for playing Guillermo De La Cruz on the horror-comedy series, What We Do in the Shadows. He was a truly kind, sparkling beacon of light and I was thrilled to be able to talk with him, even for a little while.
JB: So, how exactly did you come to be cast as Guillermo in What We Do in the Shadows?
HG: I was in the right place at the right time. A friend of mine, her name is Yvonne, invited me to a wine and cheese night at her house, and who should be there but one of the producers for the show! They saw me and told me I just had to be in it.
The only other big event that happened on Saturday was the long-awaited screening of Shin Ultraman, which I attended with my good friend, Steve. There was a brief photo op with Bin Furuya and then the movie played. I say this with no exaggeration: Shin Ultraman may be one of the greatest Kaiju films ever made. It updates the character of Ultraman, its monsters, and aliens with state-of-the-art CGI graphics, but never does too much to strip away the earnest, campy origins of those creatures. Set in the same universe as 2016’s Shin Godzilla, Shin Ultraman details the emergence of S-Class Species, (giant monsters bent on wreaking havoc across Japan) and humanity’s struggle against them. In the middle of it all, a mysterious silver giant appears, and becomes humanity’s greatest defender. Though as monster attacks grow more frequent, there may be an even greater threat that Ultraman cannot stop alone. Shin Ultraman carries itself with a message that together, we as a people can overcome anything, and it’s impossible not to be moved by the way Shinji Higuchi and Hideaki Anno have realized that message here. I am absolutely desperate to see this film again, and I implore any and all who can to watch this movie “legally” and support it. Shin Ultraman is supposedly the first in a planned trilogy of films, and I need to see this story continue. It’s too good to simply remain a standalone adventure. That being said, I’m just thrilled to have seen it as the creators intended – on a big screen, surrounded by Kaiju fans. This was undoubtedly the best moment of my time at New York Comic Con, and it didn’t even happen at the convention center!
DAY 4 – SUNDAY
Me with Trina Nishimura
Sunday was a far quieter and subdued experience. All my shopping was done, so I had time to see one more voice actor – Trina Nishimura. She’s important to me as she voiced Makise Kurisu from my favorite anime Steins;Gate, as well as providing the voice for Kayoco Anne Paterson in the English dub of Shin Godzilla. I was a gushing, fanboying mess in front of her, but I did manage to ask her one question.
JB: So, is it any different dubbing for a live action role than it is an anime?
TN: Yeah, the main thing is dubbing for live action is a lot harder. Matching the lip flaps is easy on an anime, but it can sometimes be impossible to do for a live action film. There’s a huge gap there.
It was a total shock to me to see her there in the first place, as she wasn’t one of the announced guests, and someone I only learned would be at the con a day before I made it my business to meet her. It was a truly happy surprise, and a great way to end my time at NYCC.
All that having been said, I’m still feeling mixed about the convention, at least in terms of policies. In my opinion, the NYCC staff was entirely too lax in their approach to health and safety. While the state of New York may have lifted its mask mandates, NYCC told all guests weeks before the convention that masks were mandatory inside the Jacob Javits Center. However, most of the guests in attendance ignored the rule, and the most con staff did to enforce it was to have “Safety Coordinators” stand around with boxes of face masks, ineffectually letting hundreds, if not thousands of people pass them by unmasked, despite the convention’s own rules. Now, I hear what some of you are probably thinking – surely most people have gotten the vaccines and boosters by now, though. Why would extra security be necessary? It wouldn’t, except for the fact that NYCC 2022 also didn’t mandate proof of vaccination upon entry! So, there’s no way to know how many unvaccinated guests were in attendance, and how many got sick as a result. For my part, I remained double-masked up unless eating, as there are still many at-risk people in my life that I don’t want to get sick. Thankfully, I came home after the con with a clean bill of health, however, this specter of possible infection lingered over the entire experience like a dark cloud that I simply can’t afford to omit from my retelling of my experiences here. In the future, I sincerely hope that those in power take a firmer stance on masking up, or just abandon it altogether.
Well, until next time, stay safe, everyone! Looking forward to NYCC 2023.
